Tag: Brandon Allen

Report: 49ers re-signing veteran QB Brandon Allen

The veteran backup quarterback has reportedly been re-signed by the 49ers at the start of free agency.

After the legal tampering period officially opened on Monday morning, the first pin to drop in free agency for the San Francisco 49ers involved the quarterback room.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the 49ers are re-signing backup quarterback Brandon Allen.

Via @RapSheet on Twitter:

Allen initially came into the NFL as a member of the Denver Broncos out of the University of Arkansas in 2019. Allen then went on to play three seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals before joining the 49ers’ practice squad last season.

Allen has played in 15 games over his career, including three starts.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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Titans may target QB Brandon Allen in free agency

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler says the Titans may target quarterback Brandon Allen in free agency.

During the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon made it clear that the team would add to its quarterbacks room that currently includes Will Levis and Malik Willis.

Willis is set to be the backup as things stand now, but Tennessee wants to bring in competition for the No. 2 spot after the Liberty product struggled during his first two years in the NFL.

One candidate for the role is former Cincinnati Bengals signal-caller Brandon Allen, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who notes that the Titans “might go with a second-wave passer” in free agency, which Allen is.

Tennessee will likely sign a backup but might go with a second-wave passer. Brandon Allen — a former Brian Callahan disciple — is a candidate.

A former sixth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Allen spent three seasons (2020-2022) under the coaching of Callahan, who was the Bengals’ offensive coordinator from 2019-2023.

Allen, who served as a backup to Joe Burrow, played in 12 games (six starts) in that span, completing 61.5 percent of his passes for 1,096 yards and seven touchdowns to four interceptions. He spent the 2023 campaign with the San Francisco 49ers but did not take a snap.

If its holds true that the Titans won’t be targeting a first-wave backup option, that takes guys like Jacoby Brissett, Tyrod Taylor, Joe Flacco and Gardner Minshew off the board.

Allen would be an OK addition to provide some competition for Willis but is hardly the kind of backup who can keep the team afloat if Levis were to sustain a multi-week injury.

That said, with the Titans unlikely to compete for much in 2024, having that kind of backup isn’t exactly vital.

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Former Arkansas QB Allen could be 49ers’ primary backup next season

With eight years of NFL experience, former Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen could ascend to QB2 in San Francisco next season.

After going to his second Super Bowl in three year, there is a chance former Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen could be San Francisco’s primary back-up quarterback next season, according to ProFootballRumors.com.

The 31-year-old Allen was the 49ers’ third-string emergency quarterback for the recent Super Bowl LVIII, sitting behind starter Brock Purdy and backup Sam Darnold. He is just two years removed from being Joe Burrow‘s primary backup for Cincinnati in Super Bowl LVI. Unfortunately, his teams came up short in both games.

But, the way things may likely shake down in the offseason, Allen could spend his ninth season in the NFL as San Francisco’s QB2.

With the rash of injuries to quarterbacks this past season, it could play into Allen’s favor. Seven of the league’s starting quarterbacks − nearly a quarter of them − were sidelined with season-ending injuries.

It is expected that teams will now put more of an emphasis on backup duties in free agency. With Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in 2018, being one of the league’s top backups, his price tag may be too much for the 49ers to bear moving forward.

The Athletic’s Matt Barrows said the team views Allen as a “strong candidate” to be Purdy’s primary backup next season. The 49ers made it a priority to acquire Allen after the 2023 draft, even before trading away former first-round pick Trey Lance. With his experience level, Allen is currently signed to the veteran-minimum, $1.23M per season.

Darnold signed a $4.5M deal with the Niners last March, but will likely command more than that in 2024. Now with a year of experience in Head Coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense, Allen should have a chance to ascend.

After being drafted by Jacksonville in the sixth round – 201st overall – in the 2016 NFL Draft, Allen spend his first three seasons with the Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams, but did not see the field. After signing with the Broncos in 2019, he got his first three starts. He then spent three season’s as Joe Burrow’s back-up in Cincinnati, where he got six more starts while Burrow was injured.

The 6-foot-2, 209-pound Allen has a 2-7 career record as a starter, while throwing for 1,611 yards and 10 touchdowns. In the final regular-season game of 2020, he passed for 371 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-31 victory over Houston.

Coming out of Fayetteville High School in 2011, Rivals rated Allen as the No. 5 pro-style quarterback in the nation. Following a slow start as a freshman at Arkansas, he became a major component in turning around the dismal Razorback program, becoming the first quarterback to lead the Hogs to back-to-back bowl wins in consecutive seasons.

With eight professional seasons now under his belt, Allen is the second-longest tenured Razorback signal-caller to play in the NFL. Only Joe Ferguson’s 17-year career, which spanned four franchises from 1973-90, tops Allen’s.

In 38 collegiate starts, Allen ended his career with 7,463 yards passing, which now ranks fourth in program history, while also finishing second in career pass completions (583), second in attempts (1,016) and third in completion percentage (57.4).

3 former Broncos players involved in the Super Bowl

The 49ers have two former Broncos: DE Randy Gregory and QB Brandon Allen. The Chiefs have practice squad WR Montrell Washington.

Three former Denver Broncos players have reached the Super Bowl, but only one of them is expected to play.

The San Francisco 49ers have two former Broncos on their roster — pass rusher Randy Gregory and backup quarterback Brandon Allen.

Gregory totaled three sacks in 10 games (2022-’23) before Denver traded him to San Francisco in exchange for a late-round draft pick in October. He has recorded 2.5 sacks in 14 games with the 49ers (including the playoffs). Gregory is expected to serve as a rotational pass rusher on Sunday.

Allen played for the Broncos in 2019, going 1-2 as a fill-in starter when the team had injuries at quarterback. Before landing in San Francisco, Allen was a backup with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2020-’22. Barring an emergency, Allen won’t play in Super Bowl LVIII.

The Kansas City Chiefs also have an ex-Denver player, but he’s on the practice squad: wide receiver Montrell Washington. The former fifth-round pick lasted just one season with the Broncos before being cut. Washington joined Kansas City’s practice squad in August and he spent six games on the active roster this season before returning to the practice squad.

In addition to Gregory and Allen, the 49ers also have two coaches who used to play for Denver: quarterbacks coach Brian Griese and assistant head coach Anthony Lynn. Additionally, San Francisco general manager John Lynch played safety for the Broncos, and running backs coach Bobby Turner formerly held that same role in Denver.

The 49ers also have three sons of former Broncos: head coach Kyle Shanahan (son of Mike), running back Christian McCaffrey (son of Ed) and assistant QBs coach Klay Kubiak (son of Gary). Their fathers won back-to-back Super Bowls in Denver in the late 1990s.

Only two former Rams are playing in Super Bowl LVIII, both for 49ers

Only two former Rams are on Super Bowl rosters this year, and both are on the 49ers

The Los Angeles Rams are home watching Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday after getting eliminated from the playoffs in the wild-card round, but two former Rams will be trying to win a ring in Las Vegas.

Surprisingly, there aren’t very many former Rams players on the rosters of the San Francisco 49ers or Kansas City Chiefs. Last year, there were three: Robert Quinn, Ndamukong Suh and Kendall Blanton.

This year, there are only two former Rams on Super Bowl rosters, and both play for the 49ers.

  • 49ers DT Sebastian Joseph-Day
  • 49ers QB Brandon Allen

Neither player is likely to play much on Sunday against the Chiefs, given their status on the 49ers’ depth chart. Joseph-Day only played 10 snaps in the divisional round and five in the NFC title game, while Allen is the third quarterback is will most likely be inactive behind Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold.

Joseph-Day was cut by the Chargers in December and was signed by the 49ers, but he hasn’t had much of an impact on their loaded defensive line. He should still play at least a few snaps against the Chiefs, but don’t expect to see him all over the field the way he was with the Rams years ago.

This is the third time Joseph-Day is on a team appearing in the Super Bowl. He was with the Rams in 2018 when they faced the Patriots, though he was inactive for all of their playoff games. He was also with the Rams in 2021, though he missed the first three playoff games and then played just five snaps in the Super Bowl.

He’d love to win his second ring, but every Rams fan is likely rooting against him because he plays for the enemy now.

7 former Jaguars set to play in Super Bowl LVIII

The Jaguars still haven’t played in a Super Bowl, but a handful of their former players are set to play in the big game in two weeks.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are still one of 12 teams that have never won a Super Bowl and one of four that have never reached the big game.

On Sunday, the Detroit Lions spoiled their chance to scratch themselves from at least one of those lists when they blew a 24-7 halftime lead against the San Francisco 49ers. Instead, it’ll be the five-time champion 49ers meeting the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas in two weeks.

While the Jaguars will hope for better results in the future, a handful of former members of the team are set to compete for a chance at a Super Bowl ring.

Here are seven former members of the Jaguars who are set to play in Super Bowl LVIII (plus another two on the Chiefs’ practice squad):

Watch: Ex-Arkansas and current Niners LB Dre Greenlaw celebrates Super Bowl appearance

Former Hogs linebacker Dre Greenlaw and ex-Arkansas QB Brandon Allen are both headed to their second Super Bowls.

Former Arkansas football players Dre Greenlaw and Brandon Allen will play in Super Bowl LVIII after the San Francisco 49ers rallied to beat the Detroit Lions on Sunday night.

The 49ers overcame a 24-7 halftime deficit to win 34-31. The Niners will play the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of the Super Bowl from 2020.

For Allen, the appearance will be his second in the last three years. A third-string quarterback for San Francisco this year, Allen made the Super Bowl in 2022 when he was the back-up signal-caller for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Greenlaw is also playing in his second Super Bowl. He was on that San Francisco team that lost to the Chiefs in 2020, 31-20.

Allen did not see any game action this regular season. Greenlaw started 15 games and recorded 120 tackles. He has been a starter on the 49ers defense all five of his professional years, though he was limited to three games in 2021 because of a groin injury.

This year’s Super Bowl is Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m. CT and will be played in Las Vegas.

Broncos vs. Vikings series history: Broncos look to tie series

The Denver Broncos look to win their fourth game in a row on Sunday!

The Denver Broncos head into their Week 11 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings on an impressive three-game winning streak, while the Vikings are coming off a fantastic effort by newly-minted quarterback Joshua Dobbs against the New Orleans Saints.

At the beginning of 2023, these two teams had a similar trajectory. The Vikings and Broncos both started out 0-3, but Minnesota has won five in a row and they are sitting at 6-4. The Broncos went 0-3, before winning four of their next six games, where they sit at 4-5.

How have these two teams fared against one another in the past?

Minnesota has an all-time 8-7 advantage over Denver, where the Broncos have won three out of the past four meetings.

The last time these two teams matched up was in 2019, when these teams had two different quarterbacks, Brandon Allen for the Broncos and Kirk Cousins for the Vikings. This time around, Minnesota has Dobbs behind center, and Denver with Russell Wilson.

Turning back the clock, Allen completed 17-of-39 passes for 240 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Cousins went 29-of-35 for 319 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-23 Vikings win last time.

Do the Broncos have enough Mile High magic to win four games in a row? We’ll find out on Sunday Night Football!

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2 49ers change jersey numbers

Two players changed their number before the start of the season, including a member of the 49ers’ quarterback room.

Last week, the San Francisco 49ers training camp came to an end as they finalized their roster down to 53 players on deadline day. With the initial roster set at 53 players, the start of the NFL season is inching closer by the minute.

Before the 49ers suit up against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, some players will have new numbers on their jerseys. With the roster trimmed down. players who made the team have the chance to switch numbers with a player who was waived on deadline day.

Two players opted to switch jersey numbers before the start of the season, including a member of the 49ers’ quarterback room.

Via @mattbarrows on Twitter:

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

Former Arkansas QB Brandon Allen set for historic eighth NFL season

Brandon Allen is in line to make the 49ers’ opening-day roster, which would make him the second-longest tenured QB the Hogs have ever had in the NFL.

Without any unforeseen circumstance over the next week, it appears that former Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen is set to begin his eighth season in the NFL, which will make him the second-longest tenured signal-caller the Razorbacks have ever had in the professional ranks.

Only Joe Ferguson’s 17-year career, which spanned four franchises from 1973-90, would top Allen’s. The late Ryan Mallett spent seven seasons in the NFL before retiring in 2017.

Allen, now 30, seems to have secured San Francisco’s third-team quarterbacking duties after the 49ers traded former first-round pick Trey Lance to Dallas last week. Allen would back up Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold.

The 6-foot-2, 209-pound Fayetteville High School alum, has spent his entire NFL career predominantly in a back-up role, but it has still allowed him to earn more than $4 million and a trip to Super Bowl LVI with Cincinnati.

After being drafted by Jacksonville in the sixth round — 201st overall — in the 2016 NFL Draft, he spend his first three seasons with the Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams, without playing in a game. After signing with the Broncos in 2019, he got his first three starts. He spent the past three season’s as Joe Burrow’s back-up in Cincinnati, where he got six more starts while Burrow was injured.

Allen has a 2-7 career record as a starter, while throwing for 1,611 yards and 10 touchdowns. In the final regular-season game of 2020, he passed for 371 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-31 victory over Houston. When the Bengals went to the Super Bowl in February of 2022, Allen also extended the Razorbacks’ streak of 14 consecutive years with a representative in the season’s big finale. That streak ended this past February.

Coming out of high school, Allen was rated as the No. 5 pro-style quarterback in the nation, by Rivals. Following a slow start to his freshman season at Arkansas, he ended up being a major component in turning around the dismal Razorback program, leading the Hogs to back-to-back bowl wins his final two seasons. It was the first time in history that the program had won bowls in consecutive seasons. KJ Jefferson is looking to become the first quarterback to win three straight bowl games this season.

In 38 collegiate starts, Allen ended his career with 7,463 yards passing, which ranks third in program history, while also finishing second in career pass completions (583), second in attempts (1,016) and third in completion percentage (57.4).

Ferguson was a third-round pick — 51st overall — by Buffalo in the 1973 Draft, and immediately started every game for the Bills over the next 11 seasons. He threw for 29,817 yards and 196 touchdowns as a pro, although the most famous NFL play he was a part of occurred on Dec. 16, 1973, when he handed the ball off to OJ Simpson, who proceeded to become the first player to ever eclipse 2,000 rushing yards in a single (then 14 games) season.